The invention relates in general to a selecting device for a circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery goods, and in particular to a new and useful selecting device for a double-cylinder machine with swingable selecting jacks having two guiding butts alternately selectable for engagement with cam paths.
It is known that in double-cylinder knitting machines for the production of hosiery goods, the knitting is carried out in structures where the needles are divided into both needle cylinders with the exception of the knitting of the heel or toe of the hosiery. This division of the needles is then applied to patterns such as the Jacquard pattern and link-to-link structures. This pattern option is selected in such machines by special inter-jacks with set-out butts both by swinging and sliding jacks or by selection from selecting jacks by the patterning device whereby the selecting jacks are formed as single-arm levers. As a consequence, the patterning device has to actuate every selecting jack in order to provide for all divisions where two adjacent needles are selected for one cylinder. Therefore, the selecting device has to be arranged so that it acts at higher speeds. This arrangement is met for electronic lever devices or mechanical selector devices having numerous patterning butts arranged one above the other. However, this causes a problem in that the height of the needle cylinder is increased and consequently also the weight of the machine is increased.